


Of Promises and Stitches

by NotreDame



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, Haylor - Fandom, Haylor Swyles, One Direction, Taylor Swift - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Harry Styles - Freeform, Haylor, Taylor Swift - Freeform, haylor swyles - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 11:18:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13316967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotreDame/pseuds/NotreDame
Summary: Haylor One Shot- How and why Woman by Harry Styles was inspired by Taylor Swift





	Of Promises and Stitches

**Author's Note:**

> A take on Woman by Harry Styles.  
> Billboard Music Awards 2015 and how Harry felt seeing Taylor with Calvin

_I hope you can see the shape that I'm in/ While he's touching your skin_

Maybe he should've looked away, but it was physically impossible to do so. They were right there, seated in front of him. He couldn't do anything even if he wanted to, and so he endured the scene displayed in front of him.

Harry's eyes wondered elsewhere, determined to skew his attention away from the couple watched by everyone. The couple that he felt strongly against but kept his mouth shut. He wanted to believe that he was the type of guy that wanted the best for his exes. And while he did genuinely want Taylor to be happy and exulted with life, he found it a hard pill to swallow when it was so mockingly presented to his face without consideration. Still, if she was happy, then he can find solace in that somewhere.

Why did he even come tonight?

For his team. His band. Himself. That's why. Harry shook himself out of his reverie. Despite this, he remained silent as his team accepted their award, preferring to not speak. He watched as the subject of his misery placed a hand on her mouth to cover what she had to say to the person next to her. She was whispering something in his ear and Harry wished that they weren't touching all the time.

While he knew that it was rude to stare at others, in this particular scenario, it was impossible not to. Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris were making him crazy.

He felt his throat constrict, and his breathing hitched. He wasn't feeling so well. The feeling inside him was quite impossible to express since this was the first time he's ever felt this emotion so strongly. He felt a pang in his chest that he couldn't really justify because they were over and he had no reason to feel this way.

But damn this. The VMAs may be a great way to acknowledge artists and their accomplishments, but he couldn't help but feel left out of the excitement.

Despite the disillusionment of the event that came with witnessing Taylor with Calvin, Harry focused his energy on supporting his band and applauding their feats and what they've accomplished thus far. This could've ended when Zayn left the group, but it hadn't and he was thankful for his supportive following.

Still, his mind began to wonder. Disregarding his possible depressing shape, and the bleeding heart that he could not nurse, Harry wished he could shift to better days.

**....**

"Should we just search romantic comedies on Netflix and then see what we find?" Harry suggested, plopping a popcorn into his mouth as Taylor made herself comfortable next to him.

They were in her Beverly Hills house, away from media's scrutiny. The aftermath of their skiing trip had left them winded and they both wanted to recover from that near-death experience caused by Harry's audacious driving skills. For his part, he really wanted to get to their destination before anyone recognizes them or before the storm could catch them.

"We could do that," Taylor picked up her remote and did as Harry proposed. She really wasn't in the mood to watch any Netflix, but then again she just wanted to find a relaxing ground to think about recent events.

Twenty minutes after the movie started and it was clear that Taylor nor Harry were all too invested in the plot illustrated on the screen. Harry wanted to open the conversation because he knew that Taylor had a lot in her mind regarding what had happened and he had something he'd like to express to her but he had no idea how to start.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. Taylor, who had been calmly resting her head on his chest, looked up at him with an understanding glance. She didn't say anything, and Harry took that as a sign that she saw the whirlwind of emotions in his eyes.

"You could've gotten hurt and it would've been all my fault," Harry continued, his breath shaking, "I was reckless and imprudent that night and the consequences could've been more impairing than a chin that needs stitching." Taylor had remained silent throughout his explanation, which he appreciated. Her crystal blue eyes were twinkling like they were trying to communicate her comprehension.

Taylor remained silent as Harry resumed, "I wanted to tell you how frightened I was when our car began to get out of control. But I wasn't fearing for my life, I was terrified of yours. In my panic, I did everything I could to keep you safe. And I know that an arm to keep you from hitting the front glass may have seemed ineffective, but you came out of that accident with no broken bones. I'd like to think that I did well." Taylor released a breath through her nose and smiled at him. She appreciated what he did that night, but he was underestimating how terror-stricken she was when Harry bumped his chin on a sharp object and blood started to rush out of them in large quantities. She didn't faint, but blood certainly rushed to her head and she began to feel light headed.

And when it was clear that Harry was waiting for her to speak, Taylor kissed his lips before she said anything. The kiss held all of her pent-up emotions for that night. Her worry about Harry's injury, her anger that Harry was heedless, her disappointment at herself for not assisting Harry that stormy night, and her love for the younger gentleman and his selflessness.

Harry wasn't expecting the kiss, but it wasn't unwelcome. He returned it with the same fervor. But Taylor broke it apart. Disappointed, Harry looked at Taylor questioningly.

"I was anxious that night," Taylor confessed, "I may have seemed calm and collected, but that was for show. I didn't want anyone to take pictures of what happened so I talked to everyone in the emergency room, asking them to keep everything under wraps. I thought about how you must feel once the media caught wind of our escapade and its failure, and I didn't want to face the heat for it. I'm a coward, probably, for not facing what people may have to say head on, but I wanted it to be a private matter. It's not our obligation to be an open book, and the media would like to think that they know everything about me and about you. About us. But they're wrong."

Harry watched as Taylor sat up and he followed suit, but he remained silent, giving Taylor the same respect she had given him. She started to play with the paper airplane necklace that hung so delicately around her tender neck, but he tried his best to ignore it and looked at Taylor.

"I," she hesitated, looking at the screen in front of them, which still showed the random romantic comedy that came up earlier, "I don't want to lose you." She shook her head and laughed, though Harry didn't find any humor in any of this.

"That's what this is," Taylor smiled at him, "at the end of the day, I love you. And I want to protect you from media's tantalizing portrayal of most celebrities. I know how much backlashes can affect a person's confidence, and I didn't want this incident to hold you back. In any aspect of your career." Then she proceeded to chuckle.

"I hope I'm making any sense," Taylor seemed apprehensive over his response. While Harry was having trouble comprehending why she would go to such lengths to protect him, he admired her honesty. And while it may discredit his exes for him to say this, but he really believed there and then that Taylor was unlike any other women he's met.

Upon Harry's silence, Taylor was growing uneasy. But her nervousness was assuaged when Harry embraced her tightly. It was one young adult trying to convey how much he loved the woman in front of him but was too befuddled and astonished at Taylor's selflessness and care for him.

"Would a promise of my never-ending concern and care for you be too forward?" Harry muttered in Taylor's ear, causing her to be smitten.

The truth of the situation was that Taylor had never felt this alive and full of emotion before. Being with Harry was a new experience for her and it taught her a lot about who she was, what she wanted. And she was one woman looking for someone to love for the rest of her life.

Harry was still treading on the path of self-discovery to fully appreciate how deeply Taylor loved him. And while he was unable to comprehend his own feelings then, he would later learn in life that he was irrevocably and ardently in love with one Taylor Swift.

After misunderstandings were fixed and pent-up emotions were displayed, Taylor and Harry ordered pizza and finished the romantic comedy that had played on the background as two lovers came to an understanding that brought their relationship to a whole new level that was refreshing and exciting and ever nervewracking.

**...**

In his reminiscing, Harry was unaware of the actions he had made in the past ten minutes. Apparently, he was back in his seat, located an entire row away from Taylor. It seems that the world continued to spin despite his inner nostalgia of past love.

"Are you okay, mate?" Niall placed a hand on his shoulder, who had noticed Harry's lack of personality throughout the night. He wanted to believe that it had nothing to do with the couple so admired by the rest of Hollywood. 

"Uh," Harry coughed, smiling at his blonde Irish brother, "I'm fine. Just tired, is all."

Liam and Louis exchanged knowing looks. They wanted to reach out to their friend, knowing that this was still an issue, despite Harry's persistence that he had moved on, and so had she. It was a painful sight to see when a person whom you consider one of your best pal and a brother experience past regrets and hopeful longings. It's a twisted fate, the young men acknowledge, that their friend had to undergo.

"How about we go to a pub right after this event?" Louis suggested, which Liam and Niall agreed comically to.

"We have an after party. The drinks there are free," Harry remarked, his eyes confused.

"Yes," Liam agreed, "but then we can't be ourselves. It's all a load of crap. We're better going straight to our hotel rooms and order Chinese, pizza, and drinks. We'd have much more fun there." Harry couldn't see any flaw in that plan so he accepted.

The boys' unanimous decision, they all agreed, was for the best.

Harry looked once last time at the cause of his misery. She was gorgeous tonight, but then again, when has she looked so otherwise in Harry's eyes. He wanted her to see how he felt when she touched his skin, his hopelessness evident in how much he so wanted her in that moment. He was tempted to cry out her name, but all he could do was whisper it delicately.

Somehow, or coincidently, Taylor met his eyes then, as if she heard him whisper her name from feets away. He felt the air in his lungs rush out, rendering him breathless. Despite their distance, and the people that were between them, Harry never felt so close to Taylor in years as he had then. He could still clearly see her blue eyes, but he felt as if they've changed with time. Her eyes had drifted away from how skies look on a cloudless sunny day and have turned into ocean blue eyes, hiding secrets he'd never learn about because he was no longer with her.

She looked at his eyes with a certain light in them. She was proud of him, she wanted to convey to him. And she hoped that he saw how glad she was for him and his band for winning their award. Their seemingly telepathic communication expressed a lot of how they felt at the moment, but it was all so jumbled, it was unlikely that they could truly comprehend every feeling presented in each other's eyes.

Taylor saw a sadness in Harry's eyes, as well as a tint of happiness that juxtaposed each other. While Harry could see clear as day that Taylor was filled with joy, but her eyes glinted in a way that expressed that something else was there. There's no use to try and sort each other's emotions now, words rarely mean anything when they're a little too late.

It was then when fate decided to intervene. Calvin Harris placed an around Taylor, causing her to divert her glance away from Harry to converse with the person she was supposedly satisfied with. Calvin had been unaware of the exchange, but it was clear between Taylor and Harry that there will always be an unspoken dialogue between them. It would be their thing, no one would know.

Taylor may have the same red lips and same blue eyes, but she had clearly grown in some way. And Harry would like to say that he had moved on from white shirts and tattoos, but he knew that nostalgia would come back later on. They've both matured, and possibly have taken diverging paths from each other.

But that exchanged somehow made Harry hope that, someday, when they were old and grey, their diverging paths could once converge and they could meet again.

 

**Author's Note:**

_It's 2018! And nostalgia is a bitch that keeps coming back._


End file.
